Canon MP640R Wireless Inkjet Photo All-in-one Printer MP640 Red

• Superior Resolution Realize the power of 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi2 firing with 1pl. Benefit? Incredible quality and detail in both your business documents and photos.
• Individual Ink System This 5-color ink system consists of four dye-based inks and a pigment-based black ink to produce crisp, laser-quality text for documents. With individual ink tanks, you only replace the color ink tank that runs out.
• Built-In Auto Duplex Printing Keep it green and print on both sides of the page without the hassle of turning it over manually. This can cut your paper usage by 50% so you save time, money and paper - plus you''re helping the environment!
• Built-in Wireless Be free of the wires that bind you? Print and scan wirelessly from any Wi-Fi enabled computer while you''re in another room
• USB Flash Memory/Memory Cards / PictBridge & Optional Bluetooth Don''t feel like using a computer? No problem. Just insert a USB Flash Memory Drive into your printer''s PictBridge port or compatible memory card into the built-in card slot, select images on the LCD display, and print! Thanks to a PictBridge connection you can also print photos directly from your digital camera, DV camcorder or camera phone. Plus, you can print from the optional BU-30 wireless Bluetooth unit.

I''ve been an Epson guy, then HP, and finally my wife and I can agree on a relatively trouble-free printer: the Canon (hers is the MP610). But first, I''d better qualify my endorsement: it''s undeniably influenced by color (I love that red, though Canon''s decision to "can it" suggests I''m in the minority) and price (for once I deserted Amazon in favor of ordering directly from Canon at a price so low I''d blush redder than the machine to disclose it).

I''ll say right off that this machine produces more colorful and sharp copy than another printer I''ve had a chance to audition--Canon''s 2-cartridge solution, the Pixma MX512--and it does so more quickly, efficiently and economically. Give the MX512 the advantage for those who need a FAX machine or who plan to print wirelessly with their mobile device equipped with Apple''s "Air Play." Indeed, the MX512 promises even more more "exotic" features, from video printing to "touch technology." I''m satisfied with the MP640 because the machine has been such a good soldier (except for the code-violating red uniform) for my basic needs: duplex printing, razor sharp text, and fast delivery. In the time it took me to brush my teeth, it printed out a double-sided 24-page instruction manual. And unlike some newer Canon printers, this one now has generic cartridges available and at a tiny fraction of the price of OEM cartridges. (I wouldn''t recommend them except for occasional or emergency, back-up use.) When using Canon cartridges, I never install a replacement cartridge until the machine "makes" me. In other words, no need to change cartridges simply because the machine alerts you that it''s time. That cartridge is good to the last drop, at which point the machine will stop printing and you''d better hope you remembered to stay one cartridge ahead of the empty color.

The machine is relatively quiet, though it likes a stable printer table (a desk-top should do) to contain its otherwise violent movements during operation. I''m sure the wireless feature works fine, though I''ve had insufficient reason to give it a try. The same is true of the included "photo-shop" with automatic touch-up. Whenever I run the numbers, the commercial markets like Walgreens come out ahead in cost. As for the included template designs, it would be a great idea--especially the staff paper for musicians--were it not for the ready availability of the same templates on various internet sites.

Having suffered through a number of printers ever since the dot-matrix days, I can say it''s a pleasure to find one that performs dependably and well (and appears, moreover, to have a good time doing it).

[Needed to come up with some grandkid photos in a hurry, so I simply copied them with the machine''s scanner and printed them out--at low quality rather than the interminably slow, high quality speed--and with no touch-up. You''d have difficulty distinguishing between the original and the copy. With iPhones'' improved built-in lenses eating into camera sales, Canon''s strong suit has got to be printers.]

[Re: wireless printing. Initially my thought was that I could enjoy the same wireless printing that my wife has with her MP610. However, since her machine is attached to our Time-Warner "access point," hers is the only machine that appears in my printer menu. I guess I could rig up another access point in my office (string an ethernet cable across the hall?) and see what happens. Simply not worth the hassle, whether your 2nd machine is a wireless MP640 or a wireless MX512. Go with a sure and simple, old-fashioned "wired" connection, and be assured of fewer things to go wrong!]